I was greatly saddened to read of the passing Sunday of Richard D. Greene, the chief judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals. I had the honor to appear before Judge Greene on numerous occasions; he was on the panel for 94 of my cases. Needless to say, I did not always agree with the decisions issued in those cases, but I always knew that Judge Greene had been thorough, knowledgeable and exacting in his ruling and decision making.

I was greatly saddened to read of the passing Sunday of Richard D. Greene, the chief judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals. I had the honor to appear before Judge Greene on numerous occasions; he was on the panel for 94 of my cases. Needless to say, I did not always agree with the decisions issued in those cases, but I always knew that Judge Greene had been thorough, knowledgeable and exacting in his ruling and decision making.

I was also honored to have met and interacted with Judge Greene off the bench. I saw him at various legal education seminars and other forums. I even ran into him once at Jimmie’s Diner. Judge Greene was always kind and quick with a smile and was a thoroughly engaging person.

Judge Greene was the judge I always wanted to impress with my argument and my knowledge. He always made me want to be a better attorney, and he helped me achieve that.

Judge Greene believed in the law and made the practice of law, and the state of Kansas, better through his intelligence, knowledge, temperament and high standards. He shall be missed.

MICHAEL WHALEN

Wichita

Fund PBS

Mitt Romney is dumb to want PBS defunded and privatized. The Learning Channel (TLC) was founded in 1972 by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and also NASA. Then it was privatized and devolved into ignorant “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” trash TV. When was the last time that you actually learned something by watching TLC?

If the government should do anything, it should make more PBS-like TV channels to offset the bottom-dweller content provided by other TV channels. I’m very happy to not waste my money on cable or satellite TV anymore.

STEVE MEIROWSKY

Wichita

GOP low blow

As far back as I can remember, the Republican Party has said that President Obama must get the unemployment rate lower than 8 percent. Last week, the unemployment number officially broke the 8 percent line in the sand and came out at 7.8 percent.

Republicans immediately hit the airways and began crying foul. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, was one of the first to suggest that the president and his “Chicago guys” were playing with the numbers. When questioned later that day by MSNBC host Chris Matthews, Welch could not back up his claims. Matthews called this a serious accusation by suggesting this kind of talk is “Nixon stuff.” I call it sour grapes.

The numbers are the numbers, and experts have since said that there is no way they were adjusted in the president’s favor. Suggesting that any president would monkey with the numbers is hitting below the belt. These figures can, in theory, move world financial markets and have far-reaching effects much greater than how they affect a presidential election. That is why the Bureau of Labor Statistics has earned its reputation for being nonpolitical and above such conspiracy theories.

If Republicans wish to win this election, they should do it with facts that can be backed up, and not by slinging mud.

LARRY STEPHENSON

Andover

Bad case

Regarding “Case for Obama” (Oct. 9 Letters to the Editor): President Obama has not improved the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate today is the same as it was when he took office. That rate was 7.8 percent. He has had an unemployment rate of more than 8 percent for his entire time in office.

As for the auto bailout, the taxpayers of this country will never be paid back the money that the Obama administration gave “Government” Motors. Also, the health care plan has been funded by taking $716 billion from Medicare.

RICH BACH

Wichita

Dismal future?

I was reading the directions on a tube of toothpaste and missed last week’s presidential debate. I hear that Mitt Romney won and that President Obama didn’t show up.

Having survived the machinations of 13 presidents during my lifetime, I know the prospect of who wins does not foretell doom and gloom. There are 435 representatives, 100 senators and nine Supreme Court justices who generally keep things from getting too crazy.

The past four years have been troubling, though. The current president is the first I have disagreed with 99 percent of the time. Redistribution ideology? The only way you could believe in that is if you never read any history. You didn’t build that? You needed help from others, the government? If that is true, then the government is also responsible for failure.

More troubles: The president doesn’t seem to know what the national debt is? The State Department doesn’t notice that there are problems in the Middle East? The prime minister of Israel is not important enough to meet with Obama? Really?

Do these kind of things portend a dismal future for our country? I don’t know.